Greymatter's 'Visions' is a Gorgeous, Worldly Journey Through Modern House

THUMP: Since 'Visions' feels like such a melting pot of influences, I'm curious about what you like to listen to.

Greymatter: I always do this, but I really do listen to pretty much everything. It goes in cycles as to how deep I go. At the moment I'm digging hard on rarer "golden era" Brazilian, across all styles. Brazilian music is incredible. The more I dig, the more I'm amazed. The Psyche in particular is way, way out there. A totally unique mixture of sounds and rhythms. The grooves are what get me most though. Even on pop carnival records, you can find some pretty heavy rhythms.

Boogie is a massive influence sonically, as well as the fusion side of jazz. Both involve raw, non-standard synths on top of more traditional sounds and structures. My record collection mostly consists of jazz (primarily fusion), Brazilian, boogie, disco, soul, Cuban, Nigerian, Ethiopian, hip hop, jungle and hardcore.  On the headphones and in the car, I listen to a lot of mainstream radio. It's gives me range. I'm always looking for sounds I haven't heard before.

What do you tend to seek out and pull from other music in your own productions?

Greymatter: First and foremost, it's the groove or feel. Brazilian rhythms are way out there in this sense. Take something like the Pandeiro on its own for instance; the grooves the top guys get out of that thing is mind blowing. It's a tambourine basically, but the way they play is crazy. Search it and be amazed.

Batucada's use multiple types of drum, and each does a different job rhythmically and sonically. I find it's a helpful way to look at building up electronic grooves; similar to slotting basses under kicks, or layering claps and snares. In terms of the jazz and boogie, its the synthesised sonics and arrangements. Patrick Adams is a huge influence for me, both in terms of his writing and making borderline cheesy synths sounds so fresh.

How you would describe your own take on house music?

Greymatter: I like the notion that "house is a feeling". It works for me. I don't have a particularly deep knowledge of the history of house music - that's not my background - but I do relate to the idea that house is not just something with a 4/4 kick under it. It's a disco record, it's a boogie record, a hip hop record, an Afrobeat record… and for me, it's also a UK garage or jungle record. I draw from a lot of different vibes and it changes all the time. If I feel it, I continue to write the track. If I don't, I stop.

What I find interesting about the album is how the grooves feel both very tight and very lax in the same breath. I've always found a real art in that. 

Greymatter: A lot of it comes from Brazilian and African records - again, records that absolutely have that feel. Also, from Masters At Work, Dilla, Timbaland, classic UK garage, and the lost scene that was broken beat. Some of the rhythms that came out of there were truly groundbreaking.

I work hard on creating a rigid/loose feel that still hits on a system. In studio speak, I create a lot of my own groove templates from records I like the feel off, then translate them using electronic sounds and varying degrees of Quantise (and a few other tricks).

From afar, I've come to consider WOLF Music as having quite an idiosyncratic take on house. How do you feel the sound has evolved, and where do you think Visions sits within, alongside or outwith it? 

Greymatter: WOLF is a curious beast. It's core is Matt Neale and Stu Clark, two of the most knowledgeable house heads I know, and two of the best DJs around. Without a doubt. Then you have Medlar, KRL and myself, who share a much less house background. Medlar and myself spent more time on jungle, drum 'n' bass, dubstep and UK garage, and KRL was immersed in hip hop (as an ex DMC finalist) and soul.

We work with a lot of other very talented people: Ossie, Creative Swing Alliance, Fritz Wentink, Casino Times, Detroit Swindle, James Welsh to name a few. It's dynamic and challenging. We're never all on the same vibe, and there is always someone making better music than you. Visions sits right inside WOLF in that respect. It's diverse, it's a step up from the old stuff and it's the next piece in a puzzle. A point in time. I made a decision not to release on any other labels a few years ago, so all my material is on WOLF from now on.

What do you have planned for this year (summer more specifically), after the album is released? 

Greymatter: In the summer, I will be doing shows and remixes. Visions remixes is exciting. I'm hooking that up at the moment for a September release. A new solo EP is due in late 2014. I'd like to do an EP with Medlar too, since we keep talking about it. And there will be more material with Sophie Brown for sure. She is an amazing talent.

You can follow Greymatter on Twitter here: @greymatterbeats and Lauren Martin here: @codeinedrums